Receiving the Gift of Salvation.pdf

7/27/2019 Receiving the Gift of Salvation.pdf

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Eric Lyons and Kyle Butt


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Scripture quotations are rom The New King JamesVersion o the Bible, unless otherwise specied.

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ReceIvIng the gIt o SAlvAtIon

by

Eric Lyons and Kyle Butt

Most people would admit that the Bible says eternalsalvation is a ree git rom God. The New Testamentis lled with statements stressing this point. The mostot-quoted verse in all o Scripture teaches this very act:

God so loved the world that He gave His only begottenSon... (John 3:16). God did not oer the git o eternallie to the world because o some great accomplishmenton the part o mankind. Rather, as Paul wrote to thechurch at Rome, God demonstrates His own love towardus, in that wi w wr si sirs, Christ died orus (5:8). Later, in that same chapter in Romans, Paul

spoke o the r i o spiritual lie through Christ(5:15-21). He wrote to the church at Corinth that it isGod who is us the victory through our Lord JesusChrist (1 Corinthians 15:57). And earlier in this epistle,Paul expressed gratitude or the Corinthians and theirsalvation, saying, I thank my God always concerningyou or ra gd which was i to youby

Christ Jesus (1:4). Truly, God gives His grace awayto anyone who will humbly and obediently accept it(James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5; c. Revelation 22:17). It is, asso many have noted, umrid avor.

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A cASe StUDY In tAKIng PoSSeSSIon

o WhAt goD gIveSTo better understand the relationship between

Gods gits and mans reception o those gits, it ishelpul to study one particular git rom Godone thatis mentioned in the pages o the Old Testament moretimes than any other thing that God is ever said to havegiven. I a person were to open a concordance and lookup the word give or one o its derivatives (i.e., gave,given, giving, etc.), he would discover that wheneverthis word is ound in conjunction with something Goddoes, or has done, it is used more in reerence to theland o Canaan (which God a to the descendants oAbraham) than with any other subject. Although the Old

Testament mentions numerous things that God gavethe Israelites (e.g., manna, quail, water, rest, etc.), thegit o God cited most requently (especially in Genesisthrough Joshua) is that o God giving the Israelitesthe land o Canaan. He promised to i this land toAbraham almost 500 years beore his descendantsnally received it (Genesis 12:7; c. 13:15,17; 15:7;

17:8). While the Israelites were still in Egyptian bondage,God spoke to Moses, and said: I will bring you intothe land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, andJacob; and I wi i i yu as a heritage: I am theLord (Exodus 6:8). Ater the Exodus rom Egypt, Godinstructed Moses to send twelve men to spy out theland o Canaan, which I am ii to the children o

Israel (Numbers 13:2). In the book o Leviticus, one canread where Jehovah gave the Israelites laws concerningleprosylaws that He introduced by saying, When youhave come into the land o Canaan, wi I i yu

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Receiving the Gift of Salvation


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as a pssssi... (Leviticus 14:33-34). During theyears o wilderness wanderings, God reminded Israelo this git numerous timesand it aways was spokeno as a git, never as an earned possession.

Notice, however, some o the things that the Israelitesstill had to d in order to take possession (Numbers13:30; Joshua 1:15) o this git. They had to prepareprovisions (Joshua 1:11), cross the Jordan River (Joshua

3), march around the city o Jericho once a day or sixdays, and seven times on the seventh day (Joshua 6:1-4),blow trumpets and shout (Joshua 6:5), and then utterlydestroy all that was in Jericho (Joshua 6:21). They alsoproceeded to do battle with the inhabitants o Ai (Joshua8). Joshua 10 records how the Israelites chased andstruck the inhabitants o the southern part o Canaan

(Joshua 10:10). They then battled their way up to thenorthern part o Canaan, and took possession o it,too (Joshua 11). Finally, ater the land on both sides othe Jordan had been divided among the Israelites, theBible records how Caleb courageously drove out thegiant descendants o Anak rom Hebron. He sizd theland i to him by God (Joshua 14:6-15; 15:13-19;

Judges 1:9-20). Such is an overriding theme throughoutthe rst six books o the Biblet lrd a Isra all the land o which He had sworn to give totheir athers, and y [Isra] k pssssi i (Joshua 21:43).

Perhaps the act that God a this land to theIsraelites was never made clearer than when Moses spoke

to them just prior to their entrance into Canaan.So it shall be, when the Lord your God brings youinto the land o which He swore to your athers, toAbraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to i you large and

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beautiul cities which you did not build, houses ullo all good things, which you did not ll, hewn-out

wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olivetrees which you did not plantwhen you have eatenand are ullthen beware, lest you orget the Lord,Who brought you out o the land o Egypt, romthe house o bondage.... He brought us out romthere, that He might bring us in, to i us the lando which He swore to our athers (Deuteronomy6:10-12,23).

God did not award this land to the Israelites becauseo some mighty work on their part. This land, whichfowed with milk and honey (Numbers 13:27), wasnot a prize handed out to them because o some greatachievement by the Israelites (Deuteronomy 7:7). Theydid not deserve it. The Israelites did not purchase itrom God with any kind o earned income. They did notar the right to be there. God, Who owns everything(Psalm 24:1; 89:11), a it to them as a git. I wasr. God described it as a git when He rst promisedit to Abraham (Genesis 12:7), and He described itas a git ater Israel inhabited it hundreds o yearslater (Joshua 21:43). It was unmerited. The Israelites

acceptance o Gods git, however, did not excluder on their part.

When it comes to the spiriua Promised Landthat God has reely oered to anyone who will take it(Revelation 22:17; Titus 2:11; Matthew 11:28-30), somehave a dicult time accepting the idea that man mustpu r r in order to receive it. Many today have

come to the conclusion that eort a be part othe equation when the Bible speaks o Gods graciousgits. The idea is: Since Gods grace cannot be earnedor merited, then anyone who claims that human eort

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is involved in its acceptance is in error. Clearly, though,many scriptures indicate that mans eorts are not alwayscategorized as works o merit. God a the Israelitesreedom rom Egyptian bondage, but they still had toput orth some eort by walking rom Egypt, acrossthe Red Sea, and into the Wilderness o Shur (Exodus15:22; Exodus 16:32; Joshua 24:5). The Israelites didnot earn Canaan, but they still exerted much eort

(they wrkd) in possessing it. God a the Israelitesthe city o Jericho (Joshua 6:2). But He gave it to themonly ar they ollowed His instructions and encircledthe city or seven days (Hebrews 11:30). Furthermore,Israel did not deserve manna rom heaven; it was aree git rom God. Nevertheless, i they wanted to eatit, they were required to put orth eort in gathering

it (Exodus 16; Numbers 11). These Old Testamentexamples clearly teach that something can be a gitrom God, even though conditions must be met in orderor that git to be received.

This point also can be understood eectively bynoting our attitude toward physical gits today. I a riend

wanted to give you $1,000,000, but said that in order toreceive the million dollars you had to pick up a checkat his house, take it to the bank, sign it, and cash it,would any rational person conclude that this git wasearned? O course not. Even though some eort wasexerted to receive the git, the eort was not a work omerit. Similarly, consider the young boy who is on the

verge o drowning in the middle o a small lake. I a manheard his cries, and then proceeded to save the boy byrunning to the edge o the lake, infating an inner tube,tying some rope around it, and throwing it out to the

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young boy who was struggling to stay afoat, would anywitness to this event describe the young boy as savinghimsel (or earning his rescue) because he had toexert the energy to grab the inner tube and hold onwhile being pulled onto the bank by the passerby? No.A git is still a git even when the one receiving it mustexert a certain amount o eort in order to possess it.

tAKIng PoSSeSSIon o SAlvAtIon

The New Testament leaves no doubt that the grand-est o all gits (salvation through Christa spiritual gitthat was in Gods mind beore the oundation o theworldEphesians 1:4; 3:11) is not the result o any kindo meritorious work on the part o man. The apostlePaul stressed this point several times in his writings.

To the Christians who made up the church at Ephesus,he wrote: For by grace you have been saved throughaith, and that not o yourselves; it is the git o God,not o works, lest anyone should boast (Ephesians2:8-9). In his epistle to Titus, Paul emphasized that weare saved, not by works o righteousness which wehave done, but according to His mercy (3:5). Then,

again, while writing to young Timothy, Paul highlightedthe act that we are saved by the power o God, andnot according to our works (2 Timothy 1:8-9). Thistruth cannot be overly stressed.

Unortunately, some have come to the conclusionthat man plays no part in his being saved rom sin

by God. They teach: Salvation is a git o God thatis rom nothing we do ourselves (Schlemper, 1998).Or, Salvation is a git rom Godwe do nothing toget it (MacPhail, n.d.). [W]e do nothing to become

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righteous.... God did all that was necessary in His Son(The Godhead, n.d.).

The truth is, however, when it comes to the git osalvation that God extends to the whole world (John3:16), there are requirements that must be met on thepart o man in order or him to receive the git. Contraryto what some are teaching, there is something that aperson must d in order to be saved. The Jews onPentecost understood this point, as is evident by theirquestion: Men and brethren, what shall we d? (Acts2:37). Saul, later called Paul (Acts 13:9), believed thatthere was something else he needed to do besidesexperience a personal encounter with the resurrectedLord on his way to Damascus, or he asked Jesus,

Lord, what do You want me to d? (Acts 9:6). Andthe jailor at Philippi, ater observing the righteousness oPaul and Silas and being awakened by the earthquaketo see the prison doors opened (Acts 16:20-29), elldown trembling beore Paul and Silas...and said, Sirs,what must I d to be saved? (Acts 16:30). I thosewho responded to these questions (Peter in Acts 2,

Jesus in Acts 9, and Paul and Silas in Acts 16) had themindset o some today, they should have answered bysaying, There is nothing or you to do. Just wait, andsalvation will come to you. But their responses werequite dierent rom this. All three times the questionwas asked, a command to d something was given.Peter told those on Pentecost to repent and be baptized

(Acts 2:38); Paul and Silas instructed the Philippianjailor and his household to [b]elieve on the Lord JesusChrist (Acts 16:31); and Jesus commanded Saul to[a]rise and go into the city, and you will be told what

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you must do (Acts 9:6). Notice that none o themgave the impression that salvation involves us doingi. Jesus told Saul that hemus d something.When Saul arrived in Damascus as Jesus had directedhim, he did exactly what Gods spokesman, Ananias,commanded him to do (Acts 22:12-16; 9:17-18). Similarto how the land o Canaan was received by an activeIsrael, so the ree git o eternal lie is received by man

taking action.Much controversy within Christendom is causedby disagreement on how much action an alien sinnershould take. Since God has extended to mankind anindescribable (2 Corinthians 9:15), undeserved git, weare told that the acceptance o such a git can involveonly the smallest amount o eort, else one might be

accused o salvation by works o righteous. Usually, thisaction is said to involve nothing more than conessingaith in Jesus as the Son o God, and praying that Hewill orgive sins and come into a persons heart (seePrayer o Salvation, n.d.). This, we are told, is mansway o taking possession o Gods grace. Allegedly,all one must do in order to lay hold on the eternal lie

that God reely gives to all is to[a]ccept Christ into your heart through prayer andhell receive you. It doesnt matter what church youbelong to or i you ever do good works. Youll beborn again at the moment you receive Christ. Hesat the door knocking.... Just trust Christ as Savior.God loves you and orgives you unconditionally.Anyone out there can be saved i they accept Christ,

now! Lets pray or Christ to now come into yourheart (see Staten, 2001).

The prayer that the alien sinner is urged to pray, re-quently goes something like this:

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Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You or dying on thecross or my sins. I open the door o my lie and

receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You ororgiving my sins and giving me eternal lie. Takecontrol o my lie. Make me the kind o person Youwant me to be (see McDowell, 1999, p. 759).

According to The Billy Graham EvangelisticAssociation Web site, in an article titled, How to Becomea Christian, [w]hen you receive Christ into your heartyou become a child o God, and have the privilege otalking to Him in prayer at any time about anything(How to Become a Christian, n.d.). This is what manywithin Christendom believe one must do to take pos-session o Gods grace. The overriding thought seemsto be, There cant be much involved in getting saved,

because God saves, not man. We have to make it aseasy and painless as possible so that no one will accuseus o salvation by works.

Contrary to the above statements, the New Testamentgives specic prerequisites that must be ollowed beoreone can receive the atoning benet o Christs blood(Revelation 1:5; 1 John 1:7). These conditions areneither vague nor dicult to understand. A person mustconess aith in Jesus Christ as the Son o God (John8:24; Romans 10:9-10; 1 Timothy 6:12), and he mustrepent o his past sins (Acts 26:20; Luke 13:3; Acts2:38). Although these prerequisites are slightly dierentrom those mentioned above by some modern-day

denominational preachers, they are genuinely acceptedwithin the Protestant world. By meeting these conditions,most people understand that a person is merely receiv-ing Gods grace (by ollowing Gods plan). Few, i any,

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would accuse a man who emphasizes these prerequisiteso teaching salvation by works o merit.

However, the Bible discusses yet another step thatprecedes salvationa step that has become controversialwithin Christendomwater baptism. It is mentionednumerous times throughout the New Testament, andboth Jesus and His disciples taught that it prdssalvation (Mark 16:16; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:38).

The apostle Pauls sins were washed away only ar hewas immersed in water (Acts 22:16; Acts 9:18). [NOTE:Even though it was on the road to Damascus that Paulheard the Lord, spoke to Him, and believed on Him(Acts 9), Paul did not receive salvation until he wentinto Damascus and was baptized.] The book o Actsis lled with examples o those who did not receive the

git o salvation until ater they proessed aith in Christ,repented o their sins, and were bapizd (Acts 2:38-41;8:12; 8:26-40; 10:34-48; 16:14-15; 16:30-34; 18:8).

Furthermore, the epistles o Peter and Paul alsocall attention to the necessity o baptism (1 Peter 3:21;Colossians 2:12; Romans 6:1-4). I a person wants themultitude o spiritual blessings ound in Christ (e.g.,salvation2 Timothy 2:10; orgivenessEphesians 1:7;2:12), he must not stop ater conessing aith in theLord Jesus, or ater resolving within himsel to turnrom a sinul liestyle. He also must be baptized iChrist (Galatians 3:27; Romans 6:3) or the remissiono sins (Acts 2:38).

So why, one might ask, i so many passages oScripture teach the necessity o baptism, is there somuch controversy about baptism being a condition osalvation? Several reasons could be mentioned here.

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One reason is that the thie on the cross was saved, yethe might not have been baptized. Thus, some wouldsay we do not have to be baptized to be saved. (For aull reutation o this line o reasoning, see Miller, 2003.)Another idea that is extremely popular (and has beenor some time) is the idea that baptism is a work. And,since we are not saved by works (Ephesians 2:8-9),then, allegedly, baptism cannot be required in order

to receive (or take possession oRevelation 22:17)salvation. Notice how some religionists have expressedthese sentiments.

In Part three o a series o articles on baptism,ycalled the FUD Series (FUD standing or Fear,Uncertainty, and Doubt), Darrin Yeager wrote: Theact o baptism is a work (or ritual). Paul makesclear the point works do not (and cannot) save

us. Even the aith we have is a git o God. Sinceworks cannot save us, baptism plays no part in thesalvation o the believer (2003). Yeager concludedthis article by saying: Its [sic] tragic baptism hasbecome such a point o contention in the church.Considering the whole counsel o God, severalpoints become clear. Included in those points was:Baptism is a work, and the Bible is clear works

to [sic] not save us.... [B]aptism is absolutely,positively not required or salvation.In an article titled, What Saves? Baptism or JesusyChrist?, Buddy Bryant cited Titus 3:5, and thenwrote: Baptism is a work o righteousness and weare not saved by works o righteousness which wehave done (Bryant, n.d.).Under the heading, Water Baptism is not orySalvation, one church Web site exclaimed: Waterbaptism is a work o righteousness.... Our sins werenot washed away by water, but by the Lord JesusChrist... (see Water Baptism..., n.d.). Similarly,another church Web site ran an article titled, Does

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Water Baptism Save?, declaring: Water baptismis a wrk (something that man does to please

God), and yet the Bible teaches again and againthat a person is not saved by works (see DoesWater..., n.d.).

These statements summarize the eelings o manywithin Christendom concerning baptism: It is a work,and thus not necessary or the person who wants tobe saved. The truth o the matter is, however, when

careul consideration is given to what the Bible teacheson this subject, one will nd no discrepancy betweenthe idea that man is saved by grace...through aith(Ephesians 2:8-9) and not by works, and at the sametime is saved wi baptism.

Part o the conusion concerning baptism and works

is the result o being uninormed about the biblicalteaching regarding works. The New Testament mentionsat least our kinds o works: (1) works o the Law oMoses (Galatians 2:16; Romans 3:20); (2) works othe fesh (Galatians 5:19-21); (3) works o merit (Titus3:4-7); and (4) works resulting rom obedience o aith(James 2:14-24; Luke 17:10; c. Galatians 5:6). The rst

three works mentioned here certainly do not lead toeternal lie. The last category requently is reerred toas works o God. This phrase does not mean worksprrmd by God; rather, the intent is works rquirdad apprdby God (Thayer, 1977, p. 248; Jackson,1997, 32:47). Consider the ollowing example rom Jesusstatements in John 6:27-29:

Do not labor or the ood which perishes, but orthe ood which endures to everlasting lie.... Thenthey said to Him, What shall we do, that we maywork the works o God? Jesus answered and said

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to them, This is the work o God, that you believein Him whom He sent.

Within this context, Christ made it clear that thereare works that humans must do to receive eternal lie.Moreover, the passage arms that bii is is awrk (This is the wrk o God, that you bi in Himwhom He sent). It thereore ollows that i one is savedwiu ay yp wrks, then he is saved wiuai, because ai is a wrk. Such a conclusionwould throw the Bible into hopeless conusion.

Will anyone step orward and claim that aith is ameritorious work? Can a person earn salvation bybelieving in Christ? Few, i any, think that belie is awork o merit. Although it is described in the Bibleas being a work, we correctly understand it to be a

condition upon which one receives salvation. Salvationis still a ree git rom God; it is the result o His graceand Jesus work on the cross, not our eorts.

But what about baptism? The New Testamentspifay xuds baptism rom the class o humanmeritorious works unrelated to redemption. In act, thetwo books in which the apostle Paul condemns most

vehemently the idea o salvation by worksRomans andGalatiansare the very books that relate the act thatwater baptism places a person into Christ (Romans6:3; Galatians 3:27). Also, the act that baptism is nota work o merit is emphasized in Titus 3:4-7.

For we ourselves were also once oolish, disobedient,deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures,living in malice and envy, hateul and hating oneanother. But when the kindness and the love o Godour Savior toward man appeared, not by works orighteousness which we have done, but accordingto His mercy He saved us, through the washing

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o regeneration and renewing o the Holy Spirit,whom He poured out on us abundantly through

Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justiedby His grace, we should become heirs accordingto the hope o eternal lie.

This passage reveals at least three things. First, we

ar sad by works o righteousness that we do by

ourselves (according to any plan or course o action that

we devisedsee Thayer, 1977, p. 526). Second, we arsad by the washing o regeneration (i.e., baptism),

exactly as 1 Peter 3:21 states (see also Ephesians

5:26). [NOTE: Even Baptist theologian A.T. Robertson

believed that the phrase washing o regeneration reers

specically to water baptism (1931, 4:607).] Thus, in

the third place, baptism is excluded rom all works ohuman righteousness that men contrive, but is itsel

a work o God (i.e., required and approved by God)

necessary or salvation.

When one is raised rom the watery grave o baptism,

it is according to the working o God (Colossians

2:12), and not any manmade plan. Although many havetried, no one can suggest (justiably) that baptism is

a meritorious work o human design, anymore than

he can logically conclude that Naaman earned his

physical cleansing o leprosy by dipping in the River

Jordan seven times (see 2 Kings 5:1-19). When we are

baptized, we are completely passive. I you really thinkabout it, baptism is something done a person, not

by a person (thus, one hardly can have perormed any

kind o meritorious work).

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tAKIng PoSSeSSIon

o SAlvAtIon BY AIthThe Bible, in a multitude o passages, arms that

people are saved by, because o, on account o, orthrough their aith. Paul wrote to the Roman Christians:Thereore, having been justied by aith (Greekpistis),we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ(Romans 5:1). A ew chapters earlier, Paul declared:

Thereore we conclude that a man is justied by aith(pistis) apart rom the deeds o the law (3:28). Thewriter o the book o Hebrews concluded that withoutaith (pistis) it is impossible to please Him, or he whocomes to God must believe (pisteuo) that He is, andthat He is a rewarder o those who diligently seek Him(11:6). In Ephesians 2:8-9 we read: For by grace you

have been saved through aith (pistis), and that not oyourselves; it is the git o God, not o works, lest anyoneshould boast. With this tiny sampling o verses aboutaith, it is easily seen that every person who is savedmust have aith. But what is biblical aith?

The word translated aith in each o the above

verses derives rom the Greek noun pistis (the verborm o which ispisteuo). Respected Greek scholarJoseph Thayer said that the word pistis in the NewTestament is used o a conviction or belie respectingmans relationship to God and divine things, generallywith the included idea o trust and holy ervor born oaith and conjoined with it (1977, p. 512). When the verb

ormpisteuo is used especially o the aith by whicha man embraces Jesus, it means a conviction, ullo joyul trust, that Jesus is the Messiahthe divinelyappointed author o eternal salvation in the kingdom

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o God, conjoined with obedience to Christ (Thayer,p. 511).

The wordpisteuo oten is translated by the word

believe. For instance, in Acts 10:43, the apostle Peter

wrote o Jesus: To Him all the prophets witness that,

through His name, whoever believes (pisteuo) in Him

will receive remission o sins. The apostle Paul wrote:

It pleased God through the oolishness o the mes-

sage preached to save those who believe (pisteuo)(1 Corinthians 1:21). Paul, in Romans 10:11, made a

similar statement when he declared: For the Scripture

says, Whoever believes (pisteuo) on Him will not be

put to shame.

These verses, taken by themselves, seem to sug-

gest that any person who maintains a mere mentalconviction that Jesus is the Son o God has eternal lie.

Many people (and denominations) have taken such

a position. Baptist scholar L.S. Ballard, in his debate

with Thomas B. Warren, armed this position: The

Scriptures teach that aith in Christ procures salvation

without urther acts o obedience (Warren and Ballard,

1953, p. 1). Herschel Hobbs declared: Instantaneous

salvation reers to redemption rom sin (Acts 2:21;

Romans 10:10). This experience occurs immediately

upon ones believing in Jesus Christ as ones Saviour

(1964, p. 90). Albert Mohler, in discussing his particular

denomination, stated: We cherish the gospel o Jesus

Christ as the means o salvation to all who believe. Weknow that there is salvation in the name o Jesus and

in no other name. Sinners come to Christ by aith, and

are justied by aia (2001, p. 63).

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It is to those last two words that we must directour attentionaith alone. Mohler (and most o thedenominational world) teaches that a person can be,and is in act, saved by aith alone, or aith only. Thisidea o aith only was popularized by Martin Luther inthe sixteenth century. The Catholic Church o Luthersday had grown corrupt, and was prescribing a host ounscriptural ways to obtain orgiveness. Forgiveness

could be obtained, according to the Catholic Church, bypurchasing indulgences, and a soul could be boughtout o Purgatory i the proper amount o money fowedinto the Churchs coers. In reaction to this works-basedplan o orgiveness, Martin Luther developed his ideao a aith-only plan o salvation. He took this idea soar, in act, that when he translated Romans 3:28, he

inserted the word a into the text so that it wouldread, We reckon thereore that a man is justied byaith a apart rom the works o the law, eventhough the word a is not ound in the originaltext (see Lewis, 1991, pp. 353.). Luthers aith onlydoctrine has become a principal tenet in the thinkingand teaching o most denominations.

Interestingly, even though Martin Luther oten taughtthat salvation is based on aith alone, and is not receivedbased upon a persons meritorious works, he did nottake aith alone to mean that mere mental assent toChrists deity was sucient to obtain salvation. Luthersidea o aith alone does not conorm to the modern-dayidea that baptism is a work, and cannot be required or

salvation. According to Luther:[I] arm that Baptism is no human trife, but thatit was established by God Himsel. Moreover, Heearnestly and solemnly commanded that we must

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be baptized or we shall not be saved.... The reasonwhy we are striving and battling so strenuously or

this view o Baptism is that the world nowadays isull o sects that loudly proclaim that Baptism ismerely an external orm and that external orms areuseless.... Although Baptism is indeed perormedby human hands, yet it is truly Gods own action(1530, pp. 98-99).

Four primary lines o reasoning show that the Bible

does not teach a aith only or belie only plan osalvation. First, numerous passages insist that otherrequirements besides belie in Christ are necessary

to obtain salvation. Second, biblical aith involves notonly mental assent, but also obedient action to Godscommands. Third, the book o James explicitly says

that no man is justied by aith only. And ourth,

the Bible contains examples o people who believed(pisteuo) in Jesus, yet who still were lost.

First, numerous Bible passages insist that somethingother than a mere belie in Christ is necessary to obtainsalvation. Concerning conession, Paul wrote: For

with the heart one believes to righteousness, and withthe mouth conession is made to salvation (Romans10:10). In Luke 13:3, Jesus declared to His audience:

Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Theinspired historian Luke, in the book o Acts, recordedthat God had also granted to the Gentiles repentance

to lie (Acts 11:18). Ater healing the lame man, Peterinstructed his audience to repent thereore and be

converted, that your sins may be blotted out (Acts3:19). We see in these verses that belie, conession,and repentance are required o all who desire to obtainsalvation through Christ.

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Another item that the New Testament writers in-cluded as necessary or salvation is obedience. Hebrews5:9 states: And having been perected, He becamethe author o eternal salvation to all who obey Him.Peter made the statement, For the time has come or

judgment to begin at the house o God; and i it beginswith us rst, what will be the end o those who do notobey the gospel o God? (1 Peter 4:17). In the second

epistle to the Thessalonians, Paul orewarned that Christone day will execute judgment on those who do notknow God, and on those who do not obey the gospelo our Lord Jesus Christ (1:8).

The list o things required o a person in order toobtain salvation could go on: hope (Romans 8:24),baptism (Acts 2:38; 1 Peter 3:21), and love (1 John

4:7-8) are just a small sampling. The point is that noneo these, in and o itsel, saves anyone. Faith withoutconession does not save. Conession without hopecannot save. And obedience without love is powerlessto obtain salvation. The aith only doctrine is in errorbecause it bases its entire case or salvation on oneaspect listed in the New Testament. Using that type ologic, a person could turn to 1 John 4:7-8Beloved letus love one another, or love is o God; and everyonewho loves is born o God and knows Godand say thatlove is the only thing necessary or salvationapartrom aith or repentance.

In several o these verses, we see the New Testament

writers using one or more gures o speech. For instance,the gure o speech known as synecdoche, in which apart o a thing is used to describe the whole, is used otenin passages that discuss salvation. Dungan wrote:

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This is many times the case with the salvationo sinners. The whole number o conditions are

indicated by the use o one. Generally the rstis mentionedthat o aithbecause without itnothing else could ollow. Men were to call on thename o the Lord, in order to be saved (Romans10:17); they must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ(Acts 16:31); they must repent o their sins (Acts17:30); they must be baptized in the name o theLord (Acts 22:16). But it is common to have one

o these mentioned, without any statement to thepresence o any other (1888, p. 305).

E.W. Bullinger, arguably the most respected scholarin the world on gures o speech in the Bible, specicallymentioned 1 John 4:15 as an example o a biblicalidiom. He commented that the phrase, to coness, inthis verse means more than a simple verbal statement.

The phrase is used o abiding in the aith, and walkingaccording to truth (1898, p. 828).

In truth, it would be possible to go to any numbero verses and pick out a single thing that the verse sayssaves a person. According to the Bible, love, repentance,aith, baptism, conession, and obedience are but a ewexamples o the things that save. However, it would bedishonest, and poor Bible scholarship, to demand thatonly repentance saves, or conession alone saves,or that baptism by itsel has the power to save. In thesame sense, one cannot (justiably) pick the verses thatmention aith and belie, and demand that a person issaved by aith only or belie alone.

Second, the biblical use o the word aith involvesmuch more than mere mental assent to a certain act. Italso involves obedience to Gods commands. RecallingThayers denition o the word, aith is a conviction, ull

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o joyul trust, that Jesus is the Messiahthe divinelyappointed author o eternal salvation in the kingdomo God, jid wi bdi cris (1977,p. 511). Throughout the New Testament, we see thisdenition o obedient belie used by the inspiredwriters. In 1 Peter 2:7, the apostle wrote: Thereore, toyou who bi, He is precious; but to those who aredisbdi, The stone which the builders rejected

has become the chie cornerstone. In this verse,Peter used disobedience as the opposite o belie. TheHebrews writer also equated unbelie and disobedience.In Hebrews 3:18-19, the Israelites were not allowed intothe Promised Land because they did not obey (3:18).But the next verse states: So we see that they couldnot enter in because o unbelie (3:19). And Hebrews

4:6 also declares that they did not enter because odisobedience.

Repeatedly, aith is coupled with action in theNew Testament. In Galatians 5:6, we read that aithwrki through love is the process that avails orsalvation. Hebrews 11, recognized by Bible students as

the aith chapter, shows this action process by usingOld Testament examples o individuals who pleasedGod. By aith, Abel oered (vs. 4); by aith, Noahprepared (vs. 7); and by aith, Abraham obeyed (vs.8). Verse 30 o this chapter demonstrates perectly therelationship between belie and action. The verse states:By aith the walls o Jericho ell down ater they were

encircled or seven days. Joshua and the Israelitesbelieved that God would give them the city o Jericho,but that belie was eective only ar they encircledthe city or seven days.

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Another good example o the biblical use o beliecoupled with action is ound in Acts 16. Paul andSilas were in prison, and were singing hymns when anearthquake loosed their chains. The Philippian jailer incharge o the prison thought his prisoners had escaped,and was about to kill himsel, when Paul and Silasstopped him. Immediately, the jailer inquired: Sirs,what must I do to be saved? (vs. 30). They replied:

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved,you and your household (vs. 31).Then they spoke the word o the Lord to him andto all who were in his house. And he took them thesame hour o the night and washed their stripes.And immediately he and all his amily were bap-tized. Now when he had brought them into hishouse, he set ood beore them; and he rejoiced,

ai bid in God with all his household(vss. 32-34).

When the jailer asked what he needed to do to besaved, Paul and Silas told him to believe (pisteuo)on the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet the passage does notsay he believed until ater he had been baptized. Hisbelie was coupled with obedience. A similar situation

is ound in Acts 2. In that chapter, Peters listenersasked him, Men and brethren, what shall we do? (vs.37). Then Peter said to them, Repent, and let everyone o you be baptized in the name o Jesus Christ orthe remission o sins (vs. 38). A ew verses later, weread that about three thousand souls were obedientto Peters plea and were baptized. Then, in verse 44,

the Bible describes the obedient group o ollowers bysaying, Now all who believed were together.

But some object to this biblical usage, and maintainthat such a use contradicts passages like Romans 3:28

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and Ephesians 2:8-9, which teach that a person is notsaved by works. First, Romans 3:28 does not separateaith rom all works; rather, it states: Thereore weconclude that a man is justied by aith apart rom thedeeds aw. The law discussed here is the Lawo Moses, as is shown by Pauls reerences to circumci-sion in verse 30. This passage does not say that aithsaves apart rom all works, but apart rom works o the

Law o Moses. Ephesians 2:8-9 states that a person issaved by grace through aith...not o works, yet verse10 says Christians are created in Christ Jesus or goodworks, and the rest o the chapter discusses how theJews and the Gentiles were both justied because thelaw o commandments (the Law o Moses) had beenabolished (2:15). No person has ever been righteous

enough to earn his or her salvation. Nor had any personbeen able to comply ully with the Law o Moses inorder to earn salvation. But that does not mean thataith apart rom all action saves a person. In act, justthe opposite is the case.

The second chapter o the book o James deals acrushing blow to the doctrine o aith only. Verses 14-26systematically eliminate the possibility o a person beingsaved by aith only. James wrote to the Christians,asking, What does it prot, my brethren, i someonesays he has aith but does not have works? Can aithsave him? These rhetorical questions demand a Noanswer. Then, in verse 17, he declared: Thus also aith

by itsel, i it does not have works, is dead. He went onto say that Abraham was justied by works when heoered Isaac his son on the altar. Do you see that aithwas working together with his works, and by works aith

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was made perect? (vss. 21-22). O course, Abraham

did not earn his salvation, nor was he saved because

o a sinless adherence to the Law. On the contrary, he

was saved by oering and working exactly as God

commanded him. Abraham rst showed his active

aith when he obeyed Gods call to leave his homeland

(Hebrews 11:8). He continued to show his active, living

aith when he oered Isaac. Throughout his lie, he was

saved because he obeyed the works o Godworksthat God approved in order to obtain salvation.

James urther commented: You see then that a

man is justied by works, and by ai y (vs.

24). It is interesting to note that this is the only place in

the entire New Testament where the words aith only

are ound together, and the verse xpiiy sasa a prs is not sad by ai y. James

concluded his chapter on aith with this statement: For

as the body without the spirit is dead, so aith without

works is dead also. Faith without the works o God

is a dead aith that cannot save. Abraham was justied

ater he oered, the walls o Jericho ell by aith

ater they were encircled, the Philippian jailers belie

was not complete until he was baptized, and Noahs

aith caused him to prepare. It is the case that i the

Israelites had not walked around Jericho, the walls would

not have allen, regardless o their belie. It is the case

that i Noah had not prepared the Ark, he would not

have been saved rom the Flood, regardless o what hebelieved about Gods warning. And it is the case that

i a person does not coness Christ, does not repent o

his sins, and is not baptized or the remission o those

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sins, then that person will not be saved, regardless owhat he or she believes about Christ.

In order to prove this last statement, we move tothe ourth objection regarding aith only: the Biblereers to individuals who believed (pisteuo) that Jesuswas the Son o God, yet who still were lost. In Mark1:21-28, the Scriptures record an instance in whichJesus was conronted by a man with an unclean spirit.

Upon contacting Jesus, the spirit cried out, saying,Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus oNazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know whoYou arethe Holy One o God (vss. 23-24). No onewould argue that the demon was saved just becausehe believed that Jesus was the Holy One o God.Why not? For the simple reason that, although the

unclean spirit acknowledged the deity o Jesus, hewas not willing to penitently obey Christ. James, inhis moving chapter on aith, said as much when hewrote: You believe that there is one God. You do well.Even the demons believeand tremble! But do youwant to know, O oolish man, that aith without worksis dead? (2:19-20).

The inspired apostle John documents anotherexample o a group o people who believed in Christ,but who were lost in spite o their belie. In John 12:42-43,the text reads: Nevertheless even among the rulersmany believed (pisteuo) in Him, but because o thePharisees they did not coness Him, lest they should

be put out o the synagogue; or they loved the praiseo men more than the praise o God. Is it the casethat these rulers o the Jews were saved because theybelieved in Jesus, even though they were too scared to

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coness him? To ask is to answer. They were lost, eventhough they believed (pisteuo) in Him.

conclUSIon

The Bible nowhere teaches that a person can besaved by aith only. No mere mental consent to thedeity o Christ can save (Matthew 7:21). True biblical aithin Christ is belie in His deity, jidwi obedience

to His commandments. Saving aith always has beenmade complete and living only through obedience toGods commands. It is a living aith that works throughlove to accomplish the works approved by God. It isa living aith that brings about repentance, conession,submission to water baptism or the orgiveness osins, and love or God and ones ellow man. Similar to

how Israel received the Promised Land rom God aterollowing His instructions, today, any alien sinner cantake possession o the ree git o salvation at anytime by taking these steps.

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ReeRenceS

Bryant, Buddy (no date), What Saves? Baptism or Jesus Christ?Tabernacle Baptist Church, [On-line], URL: http://www.llano.net/baptist/whatsaves.htm.

Bullinger, E.W. (1898), Figures of Speech Used in the Bible(Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1968 reprint).

Does Water Baptism Save? A Biblical Reutation o BaptismalRegeneration (no date), [On-line], URL: http://www.middle-

townbiblechurch.org/salvatio/baptsave.htm.Dungan, D.R. (1888), Hermeneutics (Delight, AR: Gospel Light,

reprint).

The Godhead, (no date), [On-line], URL: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Atlantis/3074/GE13_trinity.htm.

Hobbs, Herschel (1964), What Baptists Believe (Nashville, TN:Broadman).

How to Become a Christian (no date), The Billy Graham

Evangelistic Association, [On-line], URL: http://www.bil-lygraham.org/believe/howtobecomeachristian.asp.

Jackson, Wayne (1997), The Role o Works in the Plan oSalvation, Christian Courier, 32:47, April.

Lewis, Jack P. (1991), Questions Youve Asked About BibleTranslations (Searcy, AR: Resource Publications).

Luther, Martin (1530), Luthers Large Catechism (Saint Louis,MO: Concordia, 1978 reprint).

MacPhail, Bryn (no date), Does James Contradict Paul RegardingJustifcation?, The Reformed Theology Source, [On-line],URL: http://www.reormedtheology.ca/aithworks.html.

McDowell, Josh (1999), The New Evidence that Demands aVerdict (Nashville, TN: Nelson).

Miller, Dave (2003), The Thie on the Cross, [On-line], URL :http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/2321.

Mohler, R. Albert Jr. (2001), Being Baptist Means Conviction,Why I Am a Baptist, ed. Tom Nettles and Russell Moore(Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman).

Prayer o Salvation (no date), [On-line], URL: http://www.jesus-saves.cc/prayer_o_salvation.html.

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Robertson, A.T. (1931), Word Pictures in the New Testament(Nashville, TN: Broadman).

Schlemper, David (1998), Two HeresiesRegarding Damnationand Salvation, [On-line], URL: http://www.patriotist.com.miscarch/ds20030317.htm.

Staten, Steven F. (2001), The Sinners Prayer, [On-line], URL:http://www.chicagochurch.org/spirituallibrary/thesinnersprayer.htm.

Thayer, J.H. (1977 reprint), Greek-English Lexicon of the NewTestament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker).

Warren, Thomas B. and L.S. Ballard (1953), Warren/BallardDebate on the Plan of Salvation (Jonesboro, AR: NationalChristian Press, 1965 reprint).

Water Baptism is not or Salvation, (no date), Southwest BaptistChurch, Wichita Falls, TX, [On-line], URL: http://www.south-west-baptist.org/baptism.htm.

Yeager, Darrin (2003), Baptism: Part 3 in the FUD Series, [On-line], URL: http://www.dyeager.org/articles/baptism.php.

Documents

Receiving the Gift of Salvation.pdf